Washington Redskins: 3 Big Reasons Arizona Cardinals will Lose

The last time the Redskins played the Cardinals at home in Week 2 was in 1993.  Washington ended up losing that game by a score of 17-10.  The defeat ignited a string of six consecutive losses after the Redskins began the year with a 35-16 smack-down of the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys.

What does this have to do with anything?  Absolutely nothing, but I do enjoy breaking out a historical nugget every so often.

The Cardinals will once again travel to the east side to battle the Redskins on Sunday.  Both teams are undefeated and looking to continue their momentum.

Arizona can’t be happy about the “Welcome to the NFL” party they threw Cam Newton last week.  However, a win is a win as the Cardinals have high hopes of winning the NFC’s worst division.

The Redskins finally got over the Giants jinx with a confidence boosting win.  Arizona seems ripe for the picking and Washington hopes to take advantage in several areas that lean in their favor.  Let’s take a look.

Kevin Kolb’s Inexperience

Kevin Kolb thinks he’s a starting quarterback.  The Eagles gladly advertised Kolb as a starter to the rest of the league as well. 

Despite having just a 76 rating starting five games for the Eagles last year, the Cardinals took the bait and have their quarterback of the future.

The Redskins, on the other hand, had one of their better defensive performances last year against Kevin Kolb.  In a 17-12 victory over the Eagles, Kolb constantly checked down to running back LeSean McCoy as he was targeted 15 times out of the backfield. 

Kolb ended the game with a 76 rating in the loss. 

Most of the success Kolb has had came against a 4-3 defense.  With only eight career starts, Kolb has seen very little of the 3-4 defense.  Look for the Redskins to do as much as they can to confuse the Cardinals quarterback.

A Balanced Attack

After giving up 422 yards passing to rookie quarterback Cam Newton, the big talk around town is how the Redskins will shred the Cardinals' depleted and inexperienced secondary.  They very well could, but don’t expect that to be the game plan going in.

Contrary to popular belief, I expect the Redskins to once again go with the formula that worked against the New York Giants.

The Cardinals’ focus will be on turning “Good Rex” into “Bad Rex.”  You do that by getting pressure on him and forcing fumbles.  After watching Washington’s offensive line in Week 1, Arizona has to be thinking they have a real shot of disrupting Rex Grossman’s rhythm.

Look for the Redskins to counter by again using a balanced attack with Tim Hightower being the focal point.  The screen play will come in handy and could lead to a big play this week.  Don’t expect an all-out air assault.

The East Side

The Cardinals will be making the long trip east to Washington D.C.  Notorious in years past of being a terrible east coast team, Arizona has improved over the past few years. 

The fact remains, however, that it is more difficult to make such a long trip and turn in a strong performance on game day.  There’s no question that the home team’s advantage grows, the further away the opponent is traveling from.